Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Environmental activists urge overhaul of EIA process

Taipei Times

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure needs to be overhauled so that controversial projects can be reviewed more thoroughly and political responsibility is more clearly defined, environmentalists said yesterday.

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) today will hold its fifth EIA meeting related to a controversial petrochemical project planned by Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co for a wetlands area in Changhua County.

Environmental activists have criticized the EIA process, calling its as flawed.

Taiwan: Lies, Lies, Who is Telling the Lies? China News Agency? Joe Hung?

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

A recent development in Taiwan is the report and/or accusation that Wang Dan the Chinese dissident received some US$400,000 in subsidies from former DPP president, Chen Shui-bian. The report was published without evidence by the China News Agency (CNA), an agency in Taiwan that has steadily been losing its credibility since pan-blue shill, Joe Hung was appointed as its head. Hung has been a long time proponent of the glories of Chiang Kai-shek and a pro-unificationist of Taiwan with China. Many view Hung's appointment as a reward for his years in being as is seen by many one of the most steadfast pan-blue shills.

The selective application of law is no law at all

Mei-chin Chen 陳美津

An open letter to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) signed by 34 foreign academics and writers criticizing the government’s timing and motives in accusing 17 former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government officials with having “failed to return” 36,000 documents during the DPP administration provoked a strong reaction from the Ma administration.

Presidential Office spokesperson Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said on Monday last week that the Republic of China is a country ruled by law and the government had no choice, but to follow that law.

Protestant church worshipers held by Chinese police

Taipei Times

Police in Beijing rounded up dozens of followers of an underground Protestant church yesterday, a rights group said, as a widening crackdown on dissent appeared to spread to religious figures.

Police late on Saturday also detained Jin Tianming (金天明), a senior pastor of Beijing’s Shouwang church, an unregistered Protestant congregation, and other church leaders, before releasing them early yesterday, the US-based China Aid group said.

Jin’s detention came after the church called for an outdoor worship meeting following a similar gathering last Sunday that resulted in police rounding up nearly 170 church followers, most of whom were later released.

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